Postcrescent.com recently reported that a $20 million settlement was reached following a tragic car accident that left a young girl with a severe brain injury.

In October of 2008, a family from Appleton, WI was driving down an off-ramp in their van. A truck heading towards the ramp ran a red light and crashed into the family’s van. While the impact of the crash was not severe because the truck driver had applied his brakes, the truck was carrying a pipe rack that allowed multiple pipes to escape upon collision. One of the loose pipes shattered the left rear window of the van and hit a young girl that was a passenger in the backseat. The child suffered severe brain damage from the accident.

The child’s family filed a lawsuit following this incident alleging that the pipe rack was negligently constructed and installed as it was missing a front stop. The distributor of the pipe rack settled their case for $18.7 million. The rest of the settlement amount comes from the truck driver and his employer as well as the manufacturer of the pipe rack. The settlement amounts were assigned based on each defendant’s responsibility in the accident.

The large settlement will help the family of the young girl pay for her care and medical expenses. The girl’s medical expenses totaled $850,000 in the first two years of her life after the accident left her with severe and permanent injuries including traumatic epilepsy and blindness. Because of her traumatic brain injury, she will require around-the-clock care for the rest of her life.
Incidents like this are not uncommon. In fact, our Chicago personal injury lawyers recognize that of the one million plus Americans who suffer traumatic brain injures each year, half of these injuries occur because of car accidents. The attorneys at Levin & Perconti are experienced with complex brain injury litigation and can help you or someone you know who has dealt with such harm. Contact our brain injury attorneys today to discuss your situation and to go over the various options available to you.

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The purpose of this blog is to deliver news and information that is relevant to our areas of practice. The news and information reported on this blog represent the legal actions of attorneys throughout the United States. Our firm does not claim to represent plaintiffs in all of the lawsuits, settlements, and jury verdicts reported, only those noted as Levin & Perconti cases.